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Scientists have pinpointed the ‘magic number’ of weekly intimate encounters needed to ward off depression.
There’s no need for sex marathons — just once a week is enough to boost mental health, the researchers found.
Experts from the Shantou University Medical College found that those who have sex at least once a week have significantly lower odds of depression, compared to those who do so less than once a month.
Overall, the study, which involved 14,741 US adults, revealed that weekly intimacy could reduce the risk of developing symptoms of the mood disorder by 24 per cent.
This effect was most prominent among younger adults, aged 20 to 30, who saw greater protection from depressive feelings.
The scientists theorised that the effect may lie with the release of the ‘feel good’ hormones such as endorphins and dopamine that happens during sex.
These chemicals surge by 200 per cent during intimate acts, and are known to help with pain and stress relief.
‘Regardless of sexual orientation, sexual activity offers benefits such as enhanced wellbeing and quality of life, significantly impacting mental health’, co-author professor Mutong Chen said of the findings.
People who have less sex may be putting their health in jeopardy, a group of scientists have claimed
Depression affects around 280million people globally. Yet, available treatments, such as talking therapy and antidepressant drugs, are only effective in around half of cases, some studies show.
For the study, researchers recruited participants aged 20 to 59, and asked them to complete a survey about their sex lives.
They were also tasked with completing a survey commonly used to diagnose depression, called the Patient Health Questionnaire-9.
The results revealed that while around 7.5 per cent of participants had moderate to severe depression, having sex more than once a month significantly reduced the odds of experiencing symptoms of the disorder.
Those who reported having weekly sex saw the biggest benefit.
Whilst researchers found that increasing sexual frequency had a positive effect on psychological well-being, additional protection against depression appeared to peak at around 103 times per year — which is approximately twice a week.
The researchers hope the findings will help to shed new light on the emotional benefits of sex and help highlight the need to explore alternative treatments for managing depression.
This article was originally published by a www.dailymail.co.uk . Read the Original article here. .